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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAirMinutes_2009_08_27 1 Brookings Airport Board Brookings, SD 57006 August 27, 2009 The Brookings Airport Board was called to order by Chairperson Jeff Boulware on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 3:30 PM in the Meeting Room at City Hall. Members present were Jim Bailey, Orv Smidt, Lynn Riedesel, Judy McLaughlin, and Boulware. Also present were Paul Hanusa and Randy Hanson – Pheasant’s Fury Aviation, Operations and Maintenance Technician Jeremy Scott, City Engineer Jackie Lanning, and Airport Manager Mike Wilson. Item #2 – (Riedesel/Smidt) Motion to approve the minutes from the July 16, 2009 meeting. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Item #3 – (Bailey/Smidt) Motion to approve the amended agenda adding Environmental Assessment Update under Old Business. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. Item #4 – The next meeting will be held on September 17, 2009 at 3:30 PM in the City Hall Meeting Room. Item #5 – Old Business a. Environmental Assessment Update – Airport Manager Mike Wilson stated that the schedule listed in the minutes from the last meeting had to be changed. It will be pushed back at least two weeks. He said the FAA Regional Review could take up to 45 days. Wilson added that he would like the final meeting for the airport site selection to be no later than November 10, 2009 so the schedule does not get into the holidays. He said the plans are not to use a culvert in the creek due to 100 year flood plain flow requirements, but instead to re-route the creek about 3,000 feet. Riedesel asked what the re-routing would do to the wetlands. Wilson said it would not change them very much. The grade will decrease slightly, slowing down the creek. Steep slopes on the banks and rift-rafting will be added to the creek re-route. The re-routing should not impact the Topeka shiner minnow. 469th Avenue and 212th Street will be closed. There will be access to the MALSER through these closed roads via a gate on the outside of airport property and a bridge which will be constructed on airport property over the creek on 212th Street. Boulware asked about issues at the Trenton Township alternative site. Wilson said it is environmentally much cleaner and does not have the environmental issues like the on-site alternative. 2 Item #6 – New Business a. Review and update of Section 6.8 in the Brookings Regional Airport Rules and Regulations – Wilson asked the Board to review this section regarding the fees and permits. He said there is presently a person that wants to do crop spraying at the airport. He is locally based, is paying hangar rent at the airport, is purchasing fuel at the airport, is using mechanic services at the airport, and can get a $10,000 bond to cover any chemical spills on airport property. Wilson questioned Section A. 3) Fees, which states that a $500 fee is required for aerial spraying operations at the airport. Wilson said he checked with previous Airport Manager Patrick Dame as this section was added when Dame was in Brookings. He told Wilson that the section was intended for transient sprayers that were not supporting the economy at the airport. McLaughlin asked if the Board could have two separate fees, one for transient and one for non-transient sprayers. Wilson said yes, or the fee could be decided on a case-by-case situation. City Engineer Jackie Lanning said that may be difficult to determine. Boulware said that the Board does not want to drive away sprayers that want to use the local airport. Board members felt if the applicant was based in Brookings, purchased fuel from the FBO, did maintenance at the local airport, and was paying for hangar space at the airport, they should not be charged a $500 fee. Whether or not a radio should be used was discussed. Riedesel said that many crop dusters have a radio, but few use them. McLaughlin asked if a hand held radio would be sufficient. Bailey felt the use of a radio should be encouraged. Wilson said he will talk with the applicants when he issues the permit to them. (Riedesel/Bailey) Motion to amend Section 6.8 Aerial Application A. 3) Fee to read, “The Brookings Regional Airport Board may, at their discretion, waive the fee contingent upon the applicant’s use of services at the Brookings Regional Airport”. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. b. Application for an aerial spraying permit by Karl Sterud – Wilson said he has visited with Karl Sterud regarding aerial spraying at the airport. Wilson said he uses Absorbal for spill containment and has a spill prevention counter- measure and control plan, and will provide a $10,000 cash bond to the City of Brookings. Bailey said Sterud should use a radio. Wilson said he will talk with Sterud and ask him to use a radio, but he can’t require him to use one because the FAA doesn’t have that requirement. (Riedesel/McLaughlin) Motion to waive the $500 fee for aerial sprayer Karl Sterud at the Brookings Regional Airport. All present voted aye. MOTION CARRIED. 3 c. Wildlife Assessment – Wilson told the Board that the FAA is requiring a Wildlife Assessment for some bird strikes that occurred in 2003. The assessment should have been required but was never done. Wilson said there will be a grant to help pay for 97% of the cost of the assessment. The USDA cannot do the assessment, because an outside wildlife biologist is available at a similar cost. Wilson said Bill Antonides is a certified FAA wildlife biologist and will do the assessment as the grant is finalized. Wilson said the cropland will have to be removed from the airport as cropland is an attractant for wildlife. Wilson said the alfalfa will also have to go, but hay crop grasses can be planted. Antonides will help find a crop replacement. Bailey asked what the income was for the airport off the hay ground. Wilson said $13,500/year for the cropland/ hayland. Riedesel said many airports have this problem. Bailey felt growing crops should be approved if they were cut early. Wilson said the cropland will have to be rented as hay land. Smidt asked if this restriction was new. Wilson answered no, the Brookings airport has just been getting by with it for sometime, and many airports are experiencing the same problem. Item #7 – Airport Manager’s Report a. Taxiway painting – Wilson said the enhanced taxiway centerlines are finished. The surface-painted hold position signs will be completed soon. b. New Plow Truck – Wilson said the new plow truck had arrived. Personnel had eight hours of training on the truck. Wilson added that it is too big to fit inside the garage. He said $80,000 is budgeted for an addition with a 24 foot garage door in 2010. However, City Council has not approved the budget yet. This truck has a bigger chasse than the previous truck. It also has a sander with a pre-wetting system, an underbody scraper, a radio, and a spot light. The truck was 97% funded. c. New Fuel System – Wilson said Rex-Con previously had the bid for the concrete work for the system, but there needed to be a change in location. Rex-Con couldn’t continue to do the work for the same price. Mills Construction has taken over the project at their original bid price. Wilson said the fuel tanks should arrive next Wednesday, September 2, 2009. d. 2010 Airport Budget – Wilson said he budgeted $250,000 for the coming year for an Airport Layout Plan, approach surveys, and land appraisals. However, the budget has not yet been approved by the City Council. e. General Aviation Gate Repairs – Wilson said the gate card reader was the problem with the gate getting stuck. He had an electrical company troubleshoot the system. They cleaned and tightened the wires, and things are working again. 4 Item #8 – FBO Report – Randy Hanson said he has received a request for a fly-over by local airplanes during the dedication of the streetscape project. Hanson felt it would be good advertising for the airport. Lanning said the ribbon cutting is scheduled for September 10 with other activities on other days. Hanson asked Riedesel if he would be interested in organizing some pilots for the fly-over. Riedesel answered yes. Hanson said fuel sales are looking pretty good. He asked about the transition period for the new tanks. Boulware said Hanson could use the large red tank. Boulware asked Hanson to let the general aviation pilots know when the transition would take place so they could all fill their planes. Wilson said he will help with the transition. Riedesel told Hanson that the FBO was providing a good service at the airport. Riedesel added that Hanson had a very good staff. The meeting was adjourned. ___________________________ __________________________ Diane M. Spencer, Secretary Jeff Boulware, Chairperson